The seminary was founded in 1845 in the home of Archbishop John Henni, two years after the Archdiocese was established in Milwaukee.[3] It is one of the original Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States and the oldest in continuous existence. It was founded to meet the demand for German-speaking priests in the Wisconsin Territory.
Henni Hall was dedicated on January 29, 1856[4] after a new location was chosen for the seminary along the south shore of Lake Township. The building was 4.5 stories tall, Italianate-styled, with a U-shaped floor plan. The gingerbread ornamentation was added at a later date.[5] It was expanded in 1868 and again in 1875,[6] and later renovated in 1989.[7] Christ King Chapel within Henni Hall was consecrated in June 1861 by Archbishop Henni. Archbishop Michael Heiss and Fr. Joseph Salzmann, the first two rectors, are buried beneath the chapel.[8] The seminary's Salzmann Library was erected in 1908 and now contains more than 89,000 volumes. The Miller Gymnasium, a gift from the estate of Ernest G. Miller, was dedicated in 1927.[9]
Over the past 170 years, Saint Francis de Sales Seminary has graduated over 4,000 priests and over 400 deacons and lay ministers.[citation needed] Until 1941, it had included a minor seminary component, but in that year those students were merged with the students at Pio Nino High School to form the new St. Francis de Sales Preparatory Seminary. Since 2006, the seminary once again focuses solely on priestly formation.[10]
Forty-nine tall maple trees line the long road that leads up to Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. Planted by Austrian immigrant Siegfried Wegerbauer in the 1930s, their canopy now forms cathedral arches shading the path.[12]
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto was built by German born Paul Dobberstein while training at the seminary in 1894.[citation needed] During his studies he contracted double pneumonia and promised the Blessed Virgin Mary he would build a grotto in her honor, once he recovered. This monument can be found in Saint Francis de Sales Seminary's wooded area. It is free for anyone to view.
Standing a mere ten feet tall, this grotto was Dobberstein's first attempt at grotto building. He used the knowledge and skills gained during its construction to build other grottos in Wisconsin and Iowa, including the massive Grotto of the Redemption found in West Bend, Iowa. It is believed to have inspired Mathias Wernerus (who also attended Saint Francis de Sales Seminary) to build the Dickeyville Grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin in 1930 and started the grotto building movement in America.[citation needed]
Notable alumni
Dismas Becker – Wisconsin legislator and civil rights activist
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all located in Wisconsin. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of Milwaukee, which includes the suffragan dioceses of Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, and Superior. As of 2020, Jerome Edward Listecki is the Archbishop of Milwaukee.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo. The Archdiocese of San Francisco was canonically erected on July 29, 1853, by Pope Pius IX and its cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and elevated to an archdiocese in 1880. It serves the more than 2.2 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States, an area of 1,411 square miles (3,650 km2). The archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries.
The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is a religious shrine located in West Bend, Iowa, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City. A conglomeration of nine grottos depicting scenes in the life of Jesus, the Grotto contains a large collection of minerals and petrifications and is believed to be the largest grotto in the world.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse is a Roman Catholic diocese that covers an area of west-central Wisconsin, United States.
Jerome Edward Listecki is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 2010.
Michael Heiss was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse (1868–80) and the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (1881–90).
Frederick Xavier Katzer was an Austrian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay (1886-1891) and the third Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Wisconsin (1891–1903).
Augustine Francis Schinner was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin (1905-1913) and first Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, Washington (1914-1925).
Joseph Nathaniel Perry is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who serves as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Joseph Salzmann, one of the best-known Roman Catholic pioneer priests in the Northwest Territory of the United States, was the Austrian founder of several Catholic educational institutions, including the prominent Saint Francis de Sales Seminary known as the "Salesianum."
John Martin Henni was a Swiss-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1843 until his death in 1881.
Paul Matthias Dobberstein was a German American priest and architect.
Joseph Maria Koudelka was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin (1913-1921).
Paul Peter Rhode was a Kashubian German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, and the first to be elevated to an American bishopric. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin from 1915 until his death in 1945.
Robert Joseph Banks is a retired American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin from 1990 to 2003.
Donald Joseph Hying is an American Roman Catholic prelate who is the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 2011 to 2015 and bishop of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, from 2015 to 2019. On April 25, 2019, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Madison.
Jeffrey Robert Haines is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who currently serves as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 2017. He also currently serves as Rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
James Thomas Schuerman is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who currently serves as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 2017.
Paul Ssemogerere is a Roman Catholic prelate who is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luweero, in Uganda. He was appointed bishop of Kasana-Luweero on 4 June 2008.
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